A Grandparent Born Finnish Is a Ground of Residence in Its Own Right, With No Money Test and a Four-Year Permit
Answer
The general rule applies to you
No exception is recorded for citizens of Mexico on this topic. That is the answer, not a gap - everything below is the rule you get, unchanged.
147 exceptions recorded across 54 countries · none match Mexico to Finland · Residency through ancestry
This is where Finland parts company with both its neighbours. Section 47(1)(1) of the Aliens Act makes it a ground for a continuous residence permit that the applicant has been a Finnish citizen, or that at least one parent or one grandparent is or has been a Finnish citizen by birth. It is the first item on the list, ahead of work and business. Section 47(4) then disapplies the livelihood test to it: neither the applicant's income nor a family member's has to be shown. Section 53(4) grants the permit for four years rather than the ordinary one. Sweden's record finds no residence route for a grandchild or an adult child at all; Denmark's finds that descent gives citizenship at birth or nothing, with the one ancestry door open to people who were Danish and lost it. Finland has that door too - section 29 of the Nationality Act restores citizenship to a former Finnish citizen by declaration - and a second one beside it that reaches two generations back and asks for no money. There is also a third, narrower route in section 48, for people from the territory of the former Soviet Union who belonged to the Ingrian population transferred to Finland in 1943 and 1944 and returned after the war, or who served in the Finnish army between 1939 and 1945.
At a glance
- How far back descent reaches
- A grandparent, if that grandparent is or was a Finnish citizen by birth
Section 47(1)(1) of the Aliens Act. A parent or the applicant's own former Finnish citizenship does the same.
- Money test on this route
- None - section 47(4) disapplies it by name
Neither the applicant's livelihood nor a family member's has to be secure. Section 39(1) otherwise applies to almost every permit.
- Permit length
- Four years, rather than the ordinary one year
Section 53(4) of the Aliens Act, which uses the same definition of descent as section 47(1)(1).
- Former Finnish citizens
- Citizenship back by declaration, not by application
Section 29(1) of the Nationality Act. Subsection 2 excludes a person who lost it under sections 32, 33 or 33 a.
- Child of a Finnish father or mother born abroad
- Citizenship by declaration where paternity or maternity has been established
Section 26 of the Nationality Act, as amended in 2022 and 2025.
- Ingrian and veteran route
- A continuous permit, conditional on having a dwelling available in Finland
Sections 48(1) and 48(2) of the Aliens Act. Section 48(4) disapplies the livelihood test to it as well.
Requirements
- Having been a Finnish citizen, or a parent or grandparent who is or was a Finnish citizen by birth
- No livelihood requirement for this ground, for the applicant or for a family member
- For the section 48 route, Ingrian transfer or Finnish army service between 1939 and 1945, and a dwelling available in Finland
In detail
Why this is the sharpest divergence in the Nordic set
The three records were written from three Acts in three languages and they answer the same question three ways. Sweden: descent reaches you only at birth, and there is no residence route for a grandchild or an adult child. Denmark: citizenship at birth or nothing, with one door for people who were Danish and lost it. Finland: a grandparent who was born a Finnish citizen is a ground for a continuous residence permit, listed before work and before business, free of the money test that governs nearly everything else in the Act, and granted for four years instead of one. The Finnish rule is not a courtesy tucked into a schedule - it is the first paragraph of the section that says who may come and live here.
What the section does not do
It gives residence, not citizenship. A person admitted under section 47(1)(1) still naturalises under the Nationality Act on the ordinary eight-year residence requirement, with the language, conduct, income and - from 2027 - civic-knowledge conditions that apply to everybody. Descent short of a parent produces citizenship directly only under section 26, which needs a Finnish father or mother at the time of birth, and under section 29, which needs the applicant to have been Finnish already.
What applies to you
Nothing changes for a citizen of Mexico
We have no rule recorded that treats your citizenship differently here, so the general rule above is the one that applies to you. That is an answer, not a gap.
What the law says
«jos hän on ollut Suomen kansalainen eikä hän ole menettänyt Suomen kansalaisuuttaan kansalaisuuslain (359/2003) 33 a §:n perusteella tai ainakin toinen hänen vanhemmistaan tai yksi hänen isovanhemmistaan on tai on ollut syntyperäinen Suomen kansalainen;»Our translation - not official
if he or she has been a Finnish citizen and has not lost Finnish citizenship under section 33 a of the Nationality Act (359/2003), or if at least one of his or her parents or one of his or her grandparents is or has been a Finnish citizen by birth;
The ground itself, and the only descent-based residence route in the three Nordic records.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Jatkuvan oleskeluluvan myöntäminen 1 momentin 1 kohdan nojalla ei edellytä, että ulkomaalaisen tai hänen perheenjäsenensä toimeentulo on turvattu.»Our translation - not official
The grant of a continuous residence permit under subsection 1, point 1 does not require that the livelihood of the foreigner or of his or her family member is secure.
The money test lifted by name, for the applicant and the family alike.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Ulkomaalaiselle, joka on ollut Suomen kansalainen tai jonka vanhemmista ainakin toinen tai yksi isovanhemmista on tai on ollut syntyperäinen Suomen kansalainen, määräaikainen oleskelulupa myönnetään neljäksi vuodeksi, jollei sitä haeta lyhyemmäksi ajaksi.»Our translation - not official
A foreigner who has been a Finnish citizen, or at least one of whose parents or one of whose grandparents is or has been a Finnish citizen by birth, is granted a fixed-term residence permit for four years, unless it is applied for for a shorter period.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Sen lisäksi, mitä tässä laissa muutoin säädetään, myönnetään jatkuva oleskelulupa entisen Neuvostoliiton alueelta peräisin olevalle henkilölle: 1) jos hakija on kuulunut Inkerin siirtoväkeen, joka vuosina 1943 ja 1944 siirrettiin Suomeen ja sodan päätyttyä palautettiin Neuvostoliittoon; tai 2) jos hakija on palvellut Suomen armeijassa vuosien 1939–1945 aikana.»Our translation - not official
In addition to what is otherwise provided in this Act, a continuous residence permit is granted to a person originating from the territory of the former Soviet Union: 1) if the applicant belonged to the Ingrian transferred population that was moved to Finland in 1943 and 1944 and returned to the Soviet Union after the war ended; or 2) if the applicant served in the Finnish army during the years 1939-1945.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Oleskeluluvan myöntämisen edellytyksenä on, että hakijalla on käytössään asunto Suomessa.»Our translation - not official
A condition for granting the residence permit is that the applicant has a dwelling available in Finland.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Entinen Suomen kansalainen saa ilmoituksesta Suomen kansalaisuuden.»Our translation - not official
A former Finnish citizen acquires Finnish citizenship by declaration.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Ulkomaalainen, joka ei saa 9 §:n nojalla Suomen kansalaisuutta, saa ilmoituksesta Suomen kansalaisuuden, jos hänen syntyessään isä tai vanhemmuuslain 5 §:n 1 momentissa tarkoitettu äiti oli Suomen kansalainen ja hän syntyi: 1) Suomessa ja isyys tai äitiys vahvistettiin hänen täytettyään 18 vuotta; tai (24.10.2025/929) 2) Suomen ulkopuolella ja isyys tai äitiys on vahvistettu.»Our translation - not official
A foreigner who does not acquire Finnish citizenship under section 9 acquires Finnish citizenship by declaration if, at the time of his or her birth, his or her father or the mother referred to in section 5(1) of the Parenthood Act was a Finnish citizen and he or she was born: 1) in Finland and paternity or maternity was established after he or she turned 18; or 2) outside Finland and paternity or maternity has been established.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
Practical notes
The Aliens Act does not say what proof of a grandparent's citizenship by birth is accepted, and nothing from the Finnish Immigration Service or the Digital and Population Data Services Agency was read. How the ancestry is evidenced in practice is not covered by this record.
Section 48 names the Ingrian transferred population and army service in 1939-1945 and nothing else. Earlier Finnish law on Ingrian return was not read and nothing is said here about what it provided or when it ended.
Sections 26 to 31 of the Nationality Act, the declaration chapter, were read. Section 28 also gives citizenship by declaration to a person aged 18 to 22 who has lived in Finland ten years in total, and that route is recorded on the citizenship topic rather than here.
- consolidatesUlkomaalaislaki, consolidated text of 26 June 2026
Finlex, oikeusministeriö · consolidated to 2026-06-26
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
- consolidatesKansalaisuuslaki, consolidated text of 16 June 2026
Finlex, oikeusministeriö · consolidated to 2026-06-16
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source